OGCrafter
patreon
Chapter 82: Odin Is Dead, The Earth Has No Protection—What Should I Do?
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 20:09:15 +0000 UTCAlthough Nick Fury wasn't sure whether infrared sensors could detect the invisible Evil God Loki—mainly because he didn’t understand the principles behind magical invisibility—he couldn’t ignore the possibility.
Right now, he didn’t even have a viable test subject to experiment on. Not one individual with magical capabilities was available to him. In fact, he suddenly realized just how little he truly understood about the magical side of things.
Sure, he had a few scientific research teams studying runes—primarily to enhance weapons against werewolves and vampires, perhaps even adding basic enchantments. That at least helped in combat.
But even that research was fragmented, unsystematic. They could slowly decipher which runes had effects, but not why those effects occurred.
In general, compared to the rapidly advancing black tech of the science division, their understanding of magic was practically “zero or six zero”—in other words, a complete blank.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Until now, everything they'd faced had been either technological or low-magic threats—vampires, werewolves, things that could still be countered by modern tools. But now… now he was dealing with Loki.
And Thor had clearly said it: Loki was the greatest mage in the Nine Realms.
This changed everything.
Nick Fury, still uncertain about Loki’s exact nature, couldn't help but picture him as a major demonic threat. After all, Rowan’s diary described Loki as a "Great Demon King" with ambitions to conquer Earth.
You couldn’t exaggerate someone like that—especially not when he was hailed as the number one mage across nine entire realms.
“What did he come here for?” Fury asked, trying to keep the conversation casual as he pulled up a chair. “Came to visit his exiled big brother?”
Though Fury hadn’t spent much time with Thor, he’d already formed a psychological profile.
Hot-headed. Brash. A classic reckless warrior.
The kind of general who charged headlong into battle. Which, to Fury’s mind, made him a terrible candidate for king. A ruler needed calm. Strategy. The ability to see the bigger picture—even if it meant sacrificing personal interests.
Thor? Sure, he could sacrifice, but thinking things through? That was never his strong suit.
Not because he lacked intelligence—he just wasn’t used to dealing with complex decisions. For years, Thor had relied entirely on brute strength to solve his problems.
It reminded Fury of Tony Stark’s habit of solving everything with money.
Both were gods in their own fields: one with power, the other with wealth. And both were integral to the future Avengers lineup Rowan had mentioned in his diary.
They were giants—Avengers tier giants. You didn’t get that title without serious strength.
“No… Loki came to tell me that my father, Odin… is dead,” Thor said at last, barely able to contain the sorrow in his voice. Tears welled in his eyes.
“Dead?!” Fury shot to his feet, completely stunned. “That’s impossible! Isn’t he supposed to have a few more years left?”
Fury didn’t mean to blurt it out like that—it was just what he'd always assumed. Their internal estimates had pegged Odin’s remaining lifespan at several years.
The sudden news of his death hit hard.
Technically, Odin’s death had nothing to do with Earth—it was Asgard’s business.
But based on their prior analysis, Fury and his team had strongly suspected Odin was acting as a silent guardian of Earth. It would explain the unusually long era of peace the planet had enjoyed.
And now, Odin was gone.
The umbrella shielding Earth had collapsed.
Suddenly, it all made sense. The looming multiversal crisis. The sudden vulnerability. Without Odin, Earth was exposed.
A thousand thoughts raced through Fury’s mind.
Worse still, with Thor exiled, the rightful heir was out of the picture. Historically, such power vacuums didn’t end well.
Nine times out of ten, power would fall to someone like Loki.
And that was a nightmare scenario.
The diary footage was clear—Loki, leading an army, invading Earth. He hadn’t done it yet, but how hard would it be to find an excuse?
Lose a soldier. Blame humanity. Justify war.
In the eyes of a divine civilization like Asgard, Earth was no more significant than a nest of ants.
And if gods did decide to stomp on ants, offering an excuse was considered polite.
“Our previous analysis was wrong,” Thor murmured bitterly. “We thought Father would have a few more years… but he already gave us those years. They’re gone.”
His voice cracked with grief.
Odin had held on for his sake—for years, always guiding him, even when Thor resented it. And now Thor understood just how much that guidance had cost.
Thor remembered how he’d scoffed at Odin’s ways, calling them outdated.
But now, cast down to Earth, powerless and humiliated, he understood.
How disappointed his father must have been, stripping him of everything, hoping it would change him.
And he had wasted it all.
For a long moment, Thor was silent. Then he asked quietly, “Why did you come here?”
“I came to tell you we’ve already made arrangements,” Fury said, getting straight to the point. “Rowan is going to find out about Mjolnir tomorrow. Once he writes about it in his diary, we can finally learn more—why your father wanted to test you, how he planned to test you, and how you can regain your powers.”
“It’s meaningless… all of it,” Thor muttered, covering his face with both hands. “My father is dead. My mother is furious with me and won’t allow me to return. Loki is king of Asgard now. I’m just a mortal. I have nothing left.”
“No,” Fury said firmly. “It still means something.”
He leaned forward. “Your father tested you. That means he still had hopes. Expectations. Even in death, he left you a path. If you give up now, would you really be honoring him?”
Fury wasn’t speaking from the heart—he wasn’t sentimental. But he couldn’t afford to lose someone like Thor.
According to Rowan’s diary, Thor would become one of the Big Three of the Avengers. That meant he was supposed to be a cornerstone of Earth's defense.
Letting him wallow in despair was not an option.
He had to bring him back.
He needed him back.
